iv. Genuine Pretenses
Spending the next few days with the beautiful baby was an experience he would treasure forever. He had been a little uncertain about taking on responsibility for such a young life. Although Chloe remained in the gothic mansion with them, he had agreed to assume the role of the girl's guardian while the mother traced clues to track down the man who killed her husband. Yet by the time Brianna fluttered the thick dark gold eyelashes that framed her pretty eyes, Bruce Wayne accepted that he had a dangerous weakness for the Sullivan girls. He seemed to fall in love with them within moments of meeting them.
Before they came into his life, he spent his days locked up in his office and his nights attending charity balls. While people saw it as altruism, Bruce had always seen the numerous causes that he supported as his way of intermingling with people whom he had shut himself off from since the time his parents were killed. He preferred to stay away from his house because despite the length of time that had passed since his own tragedy, the mansion was his reminder of every pleasant moment that he spent with his mother and father. In his lonely life, he could not afford happy memories to show him what a contrast his life was today.
For the past week, Bruce found himself eager to close deals even though he knew that dragging out conferences would put the contractor on the edge enough to offer low prices that would enable Wayne Enterprises to triple its profits for each project. Instead of staying there late reviewing the quarterly reports and looking over new proposals, Bruce left the office at precisely five o'clock and headed home to see if Chloe had taken a break from her investigation long enough to have a bite to eat. He would pass by Brianna's playroom, his old one when he was a kid, aired and stocked with plenty of new toys, to see if the girl was yet bored or tired from being left in the same room all day.
Today, Bruce had pushed away his computer and risen from his seat in the middle of a conversation with his assistant. The office had become a silent cave to him. Somehow, a room was not quite a comfortable without the hysterical giggling of a three-year-old. The smile that teased his lips as he dismissed the man did not go unnoticed. His assistant may have wondered what caused the CEO to suddenly decide that workday was over, but since he had his own life to live and for the first time he was receiving a half-day without filing for it himself, he only left Bruce to make his calls.
He arrived home around ten in the morning and made his way up the flight of stairs to stop before the door of the playroom. Bruce pushed the door open to reveal Brianna sitting at the center staring at the dollhouse that he had bought for her. The intricate Victorian was bigger than she was, and was full of miniature furniture and residents. Alfred knelt beside the girl, murmuring soft words which the girl did not seem to heed.
"Brianna," Bruce said softly. The girl did not turn around.
Alfred rose to his feet and walked over towards him. "Master Bruce, what are you doing home at this hour? Was there anything you needed?"
Bruce shook his head at the old man. He reached out to pat the butler's arm. "I thought that I could use some company. What is wrong with Brianna?"
The old man appeared concerned as he glanced back at the blonde girl who was still quietly regarding the playhouse. "I have no idea, Master Bruce. She opened the present while I retrieved her breakfast from the kitchen. When I arrived, she was like this."
Bruce's gaze remained on the girl, who reached into one of the rooms in the house to draw out one of the dolls. He turned to Alfred and requested, "Would you give us a moment?"
Left alone with Chloe's daughter, Bruce made his way silently to the dollhouse. He tugged at his pants to sit on the floor, his legs folded beneath him. He did not care about the crease of the suit. He kept his eyes focused on the normally vivacious child who seemed absorbed with the doll in her hands, with the dollhouse in front of her.
"Brianna, how would you like to go to the park with me?"
She frowned down at the miniature man she held, and glanced up at the room where miniatures of a child and woman sat in front of the table. A lovely lower lip thrust out.
"Don't you think you deserve to run in the park? We'll buy cheesedogs and Coke." He extended his hand, waiting to see if she would even recognize his presence. "Come on, Brianna. We'll find your sweater in your closet. It's pretty cold outside. We don't want you to get sick."
Deep blue eyes turned to him, and Bruce braced himself at the intensity of her sad gaze. The girl blinked and held the doll out to him, "No daddy."
Bruce took a deep breath and returned the miniature man to the room. His action caused the girl to shake her head fiercely. "It's supposed to go here, Bri."
"No," she protested. "Just mommy and Bri."
"Is this daddy?" The girl nodded. He could understand that for a young child, Lex's loss could be taken either as something that merely happened or as a great tragedy. Someone as young as Brianna could take the death of her father to mean that Lex had left them, and easily recover. Despite the fact that children could deal with loss more easily than adults, he did not want her to grow up thinking that she was left by her father. He slipped in to the solution that he himself had to turn to at the time, which was to think of Alfred as a father. But he had been older than Brianna and he could never fully trade the image of his parents with substitutes. The three-year-old was another issue though. "Can I be this doll?"
Her bright eyes convinced him that it worked. She took the doll from him and replaced it beside the miniature of the little girl. "Me, mommy and you."
"That's right, Brianna."
"Come to the park?" He nodded. "Can mommy come?"
He took the girl's hand and rose to his feet. Hand in hand, they left the playroom and proceeded to the small study that Chloe had been using as her office. "Let's see, shall we?"
When they arrived outside the study, Brianna knocked on the door before he could even open it. The door swung open to reveal Chloe, with rings under her eyes and eyeglasses pushed up on her head. "Hey!" she greeted breathlessly. Her eyes were drawn down to where her daughter was staring up at her excitedly. "How are you, baby?" Chloe picked Brianna up and peppered kisses all over the little girl's face.
"When did you start wearing eyeglasses?" were the first words to come from his mouth. She looked adorable with them, so unlike the chic and sophisticated images of her taken through the years. Dressed in casual clothes and without a trace of makeup on, she looked even more like the Chloe he had fallen in love with, before her role as Mrs. Luthor required her to watch everything that she wore and said in public. He had spent those years while she was married concerned with the thought that only Lex Luthor saw her free and beautiful the way he remembered.
Chloe's hand flew to her head self-consciously. She pulled off the glasses and smiled. "This is just for reading. What brings you home so early?"
"Have you eaten?"
"I had a sandwich," she informed him. When he appeared as though he would disapprove, she held up a hushing hand. "It was a very large one, with meat and vegetables. Ask Alfred if you don't believe me."
He stared at her for the longest moment. When she started to fidget with Brianna in her arms, Bruce nodded. "I believe you."
"Come to park, mommy!" Brianna grabbed her cheeks and turned her face to hers. The girl smiled brightly in invitation. "Come with us!"
Chloe smiled back tiredly. "Oh baby girl, I can't. Mommy's working."
Bruce regarded her with hooded eyes. He watched as the girl tried to convince her mother a few more times before finally deciding that as many refusals would be detrimental to the child's self-confidence. "Looks like mommy can't join us. Let's go and leave your mom to her research, Brianna."
The girl did not show an ounce of disappointment and somehow, for a mother who had never had to share her baby with anyone other than her husband, seeing Brianna come to Bruce caused a sinking feeling in her heart. She kissed the small girl on her forehead. "Have fun, Bri."
"All right. You should take a rest," he told her. "We'll just drop by her room for her sweater and coat and then we'll pass by here again to tell you that we're leaving."
Bruce handed the girl a light blue sweater and a green scarf, the items of clothing made in material that was probably more expensive that the entire wardrobe of other kids. "Okay, Brianna. Since you're going to be a big girl soon, you can dress yourself up and meet me at the study, okay? I have to talk to your mommy and ask her if I can buy you ice cream too."
The girl skipped in delight as she took the clothes. Bruce made his way back to the study and knocked briskly. Chloe had made it clear to him that she did not want her presence in the house to make a difference in his coming and going. In fact, she had insisted that she be allowed to stay in a hotel instead. He was the one who told her that she had to stay with him, the one who went out of his way to give her privacy.
When she did not open the door as quickly as she did earlier, he slowly turned the knob and peeked inside. The glowing computer screen once more lit her face. This time, the glow was reflected on her sleeping visage. Bruce walked over slowly towards her, careful not to startle her. When he reached her side, he shook her gently. "Chloe, no sleeping on the chair."
She woke up slowly and peeked at him from still half-closed eyes. "Are you and Brianna leaving?"
"In a while. Will you go to bed?"
"I think I should."
Bruce nodded in approval. "I'll take you to your room and pick up your daughter. The two of you are such a handful," he said with overwhelming affection.
"Of course," she replied sleepily. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."
He escorted her, still stumbling, to her bedroom and helped her settle into bed. When she drifted off to sleep easily, he pulled the covers over her. Soon, he would have to send some clues in her investigation her way to make certain that she would have enough feeling of accomplishment to voluntarily rest before exhaustion forced her. Bruce leaned down and took a deep breath, allowing his senses to be satisfied with her scent. He pondered for the longest moment before pressing his lips on her cheek. "I think I do, Chloe. And I can't wait."
tbc
Spending the next few days with the beautiful baby was an experience he would treasure forever. He had been a little uncertain about taking on responsibility for such a young life. Although Chloe remained in the gothic mansion with them, he had agreed to assume the role of the girl's guardian while the mother traced clues to track down the man who killed her husband. Yet by the time Brianna fluttered the thick dark gold eyelashes that framed her pretty eyes, Bruce Wayne accepted that he had a dangerous weakness for the Sullivan girls. He seemed to fall in love with them within moments of meeting them.
Before they came into his life, he spent his days locked up in his office and his nights attending charity balls. While people saw it as altruism, Bruce had always seen the numerous causes that he supported as his way of intermingling with people whom he had shut himself off from since the time his parents were killed. He preferred to stay away from his house because despite the length of time that had passed since his own tragedy, the mansion was his reminder of every pleasant moment that he spent with his mother and father. In his lonely life, he could not afford happy memories to show him what a contrast his life was today.
For the past week, Bruce found himself eager to close deals even though he knew that dragging out conferences would put the contractor on the edge enough to offer low prices that would enable Wayne Enterprises to triple its profits for each project. Instead of staying there late reviewing the quarterly reports and looking over new proposals, Bruce left the office at precisely five o'clock and headed home to see if Chloe had taken a break from her investigation long enough to have a bite to eat. He would pass by Brianna's playroom, his old one when he was a kid, aired and stocked with plenty of new toys, to see if the girl was yet bored or tired from being left in the same room all day.
Today, Bruce had pushed away his computer and risen from his seat in the middle of a conversation with his assistant. The office had become a silent cave to him. Somehow, a room was not quite a comfortable without the hysterical giggling of a three-year-old. The smile that teased his lips as he dismissed the man did not go unnoticed. His assistant may have wondered what caused the CEO to suddenly decide that workday was over, but since he had his own life to live and for the first time he was receiving a half-day without filing for it himself, he only left Bruce to make his calls.
He arrived home around ten in the morning and made his way up the flight of stairs to stop before the door of the playroom. Bruce pushed the door open to reveal Brianna sitting at the center staring at the dollhouse that he had bought for her. The intricate Victorian was bigger than she was, and was full of miniature furniture and residents. Alfred knelt beside the girl, murmuring soft words which the girl did not seem to heed.
"Brianna," Bruce said softly. The girl did not turn around.
Alfred rose to his feet and walked over towards him. "Master Bruce, what are you doing home at this hour? Was there anything you needed?"
Bruce shook his head at the old man. He reached out to pat the butler's arm. "I thought that I could use some company. What is wrong with Brianna?"
The old man appeared concerned as he glanced back at the blonde girl who was still quietly regarding the playhouse. "I have no idea, Master Bruce. She opened the present while I retrieved her breakfast from the kitchen. When I arrived, she was like this."
Bruce's gaze remained on the girl, who reached into one of the rooms in the house to draw out one of the dolls. He turned to Alfred and requested, "Would you give us a moment?"
Left alone with Chloe's daughter, Bruce made his way silently to the dollhouse. He tugged at his pants to sit on the floor, his legs folded beneath him. He did not care about the crease of the suit. He kept his eyes focused on the normally vivacious child who seemed absorbed with the doll in her hands, with the dollhouse in front of her.
"Brianna, how would you like to go to the park with me?"
She frowned down at the miniature man she held, and glanced up at the room where miniatures of a child and woman sat in front of the table. A lovely lower lip thrust out.
"Don't you think you deserve to run in the park? We'll buy cheesedogs and Coke." He extended his hand, waiting to see if she would even recognize his presence. "Come on, Brianna. We'll find your sweater in your closet. It's pretty cold outside. We don't want you to get sick."
Deep blue eyes turned to him, and Bruce braced himself at the intensity of her sad gaze. The girl blinked and held the doll out to him, "No daddy."
Bruce took a deep breath and returned the miniature man to the room. His action caused the girl to shake her head fiercely. "It's supposed to go here, Bri."
"No," she protested. "Just mommy and Bri."
"Is this daddy?" The girl nodded. He could understand that for a young child, Lex's loss could be taken either as something that merely happened or as a great tragedy. Someone as young as Brianna could take the death of her father to mean that Lex had left them, and easily recover. Despite the fact that children could deal with loss more easily than adults, he did not want her to grow up thinking that she was left by her father. He slipped in to the solution that he himself had to turn to at the time, which was to think of Alfred as a father. But he had been older than Brianna and he could never fully trade the image of his parents with substitutes. The three-year-old was another issue though. "Can I be this doll?"
Her bright eyes convinced him that it worked. She took the doll from him and replaced it beside the miniature of the little girl. "Me, mommy and you."
"That's right, Brianna."
"Come to the park?" He nodded. "Can mommy come?"
He took the girl's hand and rose to his feet. Hand in hand, they left the playroom and proceeded to the small study that Chloe had been using as her office. "Let's see, shall we?"
When they arrived outside the study, Brianna knocked on the door before he could even open it. The door swung open to reveal Chloe, with rings under her eyes and eyeglasses pushed up on her head. "Hey!" she greeted breathlessly. Her eyes were drawn down to where her daughter was staring up at her excitedly. "How are you, baby?" Chloe picked Brianna up and peppered kisses all over the little girl's face.
"When did you start wearing eyeglasses?" were the first words to come from his mouth. She looked adorable with them, so unlike the chic and sophisticated images of her taken through the years. Dressed in casual clothes and without a trace of makeup on, she looked even more like the Chloe he had fallen in love with, before her role as Mrs. Luthor required her to watch everything that she wore and said in public. He had spent those years while she was married concerned with the thought that only Lex Luthor saw her free and beautiful the way he remembered.
Chloe's hand flew to her head self-consciously. She pulled off the glasses and smiled. "This is just for reading. What brings you home so early?"
"Have you eaten?"
"I had a sandwich," she informed him. When he appeared as though he would disapprove, she held up a hushing hand. "It was a very large one, with meat and vegetables. Ask Alfred if you don't believe me."
He stared at her for the longest moment. When she started to fidget with Brianna in her arms, Bruce nodded. "I believe you."
"Come to park, mommy!" Brianna grabbed her cheeks and turned her face to hers. The girl smiled brightly in invitation. "Come with us!"
Chloe smiled back tiredly. "Oh baby girl, I can't. Mommy's working."
Bruce regarded her with hooded eyes. He watched as the girl tried to convince her mother a few more times before finally deciding that as many refusals would be detrimental to the child's self-confidence. "Looks like mommy can't join us. Let's go and leave your mom to her research, Brianna."
The girl did not show an ounce of disappointment and somehow, for a mother who had never had to share her baby with anyone other than her husband, seeing Brianna come to Bruce caused a sinking feeling in her heart. She kissed the small girl on her forehead. "Have fun, Bri."
"All right. You should take a rest," he told her. "We'll just drop by her room for her sweater and coat and then we'll pass by here again to tell you that we're leaving."
Bruce handed the girl a light blue sweater and a green scarf, the items of clothing made in material that was probably more expensive that the entire wardrobe of other kids. "Okay, Brianna. Since you're going to be a big girl soon, you can dress yourself up and meet me at the study, okay? I have to talk to your mommy and ask her if I can buy you ice cream too."
The girl skipped in delight as she took the clothes. Bruce made his way back to the study and knocked briskly. Chloe had made it clear to him that she did not want her presence in the house to make a difference in his coming and going. In fact, she had insisted that she be allowed to stay in a hotel instead. He was the one who told her that she had to stay with him, the one who went out of his way to give her privacy.
When she did not open the door as quickly as she did earlier, he slowly turned the knob and peeked inside. The glowing computer screen once more lit her face. This time, the glow was reflected on her sleeping visage. Bruce walked over slowly towards her, careful not to startle her. When he reached her side, he shook her gently. "Chloe, no sleeping on the chair."
She woke up slowly and peeked at him from still half-closed eyes. "Are you and Brianna leaving?"
"In a while. Will you go to bed?"
"I think I should."
Bruce nodded in approval. "I'll take you to your room and pick up your daughter. The two of you are such a handful," he said with overwhelming affection.
"Of course," she replied sleepily. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."
He escorted her, still stumbling, to her bedroom and helped her settle into bed. When she drifted off to sleep easily, he pulled the covers over her. Soon, he would have to send some clues in her investigation her way to make certain that she would have enough feeling of accomplishment to voluntarily rest before exhaustion forced her. Bruce leaned down and took a deep breath, allowing his senses to be satisfied with her scent. He pondered for the longest moment before pressing his lips on her cheek. "I think I do, Chloe. And I can't wait."
tbc